Recently, I interviewed Margie Bissinger, and we talked about how to reverse osteoporosis and osteopenia. If you would prefer to listen to the interview you can access it by Clicking Here [1].
Dr. Eric Osansky:
We have a return guest that I am very excited to chat with, Margie Bissinger. We are going to be talking about osteopenia and osteoporosis, increasing bone density, testing options. Pretty much everything you want to know about bone health.
Let me read Margie’s bio in case you didn’t catch her first interview. Margie is a physical therapist, integrative health coach, and happiness trainer. She has over 25 years of experience helping people with osteoporosis and osteopenia improve their bone health through an integrative, comprehensive approach. She is the author of Osteoporosis: An Exercise Guide as well as the upcoming More Natural Approaches to Osteoporosis and Bone Health Summit. Margie has lectured to Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, hospitals, and women’s groups throughout the country. She has been featured in The New York Times, Menopause Management, OB-GYN News, and contributed to numerous health and fitness books. Thanks for joining us again, Margie.
Margie Bissinger:
Thanks for having me. I’m so glad to be here.
Dr. Eric:
Really excited. Bone health is a topic that a lot of people are interested in. Even those who are not interested in it, it affects all of us. It’s something that’s relevant to pretty much everyone.
You have been on the podcast. For those who don’t know your background, can you give some? How did you start focusing on bone health?
Margie:
It’s really interesting because my background as a physical therapist is in orthopedic physical therapy. I have a master’s in that. I was working with people who have neck pain, back pain, all sorts of things in private practice. A group of doctors asked me if I would see their patients who had osteoporosis. It was a group of endocrinologists. I couldn’t believe, and I had had some training in osteoporosis. This was a long time ago. They were pretty ahead of the times.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, well-intentioned individuals, who were told they had osteoporosis. They were actually doing exercises that increased their risk of fractures. It just upset me because they’re trying hard, but they didn’t know where to go. It was even before the internet. They were going to magazines, trainers, and doing things that could really hurt them and actually cause fractures.
I said, “Wow. I need to delve into this and help these people.” Then I got involved in the state level in New Jersey. I got involved nationally, wrote a book. I got very involved, realizing there was a need for this.
I started as a physical therapist. Fast forward, my son developed type one diabetes in college. I saw how nutrition completely changed his life. I went back to school and became a health coach, studied nutrition. I realized that was the missing piece in all the people I was seeing, so I added that to what I do in terms of exercise, nutrition. I have been teaching happiness for 35 years. That’s another piece I have seen as so life-changing and important in all my work.
That’s in a nutshell how I got to do all this.
Dr. Eric:
Wonderful. We will definitely talk about the happiness component. I don’t know if you can answer this question, as far as statistics. Do you know how common osteoporosis as well as osteopenia- I don’t know if you know numbers or percentages.
Margie:
Yeah, it’s quite unbelievable. The percentages, I don’t remember the exact number of fractures, but every three minutes, somewhere in the world will have a fracture due to osteoporosis. In terms of the United States, 50% of women will have a fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime. 50%! One of two. It’s one out of four men in the United States. In other countries, it’s one out of three women and one out of five men.
This is huge. People don’t really appreciate- Once you have a hip fracture, almost 25% of people will die within that year because of complications. A huge number never return to their activity level, or they’re in nursing homes. It’s so debilitating and life-changing. We want to enjoy our lives as we age. We want to be able to enjoy all those years. When you have a fracture, it can significantly change things.
It’s something that is so preventable, so treatable. There is so much people can do just being aware of it. The younger, the better. It’s one of those things where it’s never too early. We can talk about that. It’s never too late. Whenever you can deal with it, it’s so important. Yes, it’s a lot of people.
Dr. Eric:
I didn’t realize how common it was in men. You said it’s one out of four, so 25% of men will suffer a bone fracture?
Margie:
Yes, due to osteoporosis, in their lifetime.
Dr. Eric:
That is pretty high. For those who don’t know the difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis, can you explain the difference?
Margie:
The word “osteoporosis” just means “porous bones.” There are a few things that happen. It’s a decrease in both strength and quality, so it’s not just how much bone, but it’s also the microarchitecture. The bone has interconnections. The collagen oftentimes, as it gets more porous, you lose some of those connections. It just means porous bones.
How they make the differentiation is purely on a DEXA scan. That’s the bone density test. They look at your bone density, and they compare that to a 30-year-old. They see how many standard deviations away from the 30-year-old you are. If you’re 0 to -1, they consider that okay. Between -1 to -2.5, that’s considered osteopenia. Anything lower than -2.5 or greater is considered osteoporosis.
It’s very arbitrary in a sense because there is not a great correlation between bone density and fractures. That’s what’s crazy. There is some, but it’s not what you would think. If someone is like, “I just have osteopenia,” and you’re -2.5, and someone else is -2.5, it’s just an arbitrary distinction. It’s not like all of a sudden, you fall off and will have a fracture because you’re -2.5. They just made that so they could have some scale to look at when people are being evaluated.
Dr. Eric:
I’m glad you mentioned that because it’s similar with blood tests. You do a blood test, and someone might have a hemoglobin A1C of 5.6, and they’re considered to be normal. If they were just one point higher, they would be considered to be prediabetic.
Someone might be diagnosed with osteopenia and be like, “It’s not as bad. At least it’s not osteoporosis.” It depends. They could be borderline, where they are pretty close to having a diagnosis of osteoporosis.
Margie:
The other thing is they only measure the lumbar spine and hip, and possibly the forearm. The truth is that most of the fractures occur in the upper back, the thoracic spine. It’s not always the same. You have to take it all seriously. Regardless of what it is, it’s important to know. As you said, it’s not like something happens instantaneously when you hit that -2.5.
Dr. Eric:
That’s interesting. The distribution of bone density is different in different- If someone got a DEXA scan, and it looked okay in the lumbar spine, it could be they might have lower bone density in other areas of the body. Is that what you’re saying?
Margie:
All I’m saying is that they just measure the lumbar spine. Most of the fractures occur in the thoracic spine. It could be different. Sometimes, people have a lot of arthritis. It’s possible there are some artifacts where you’re seeing increased bone density because of arthritis, or they have had a previous fracture. The point is, it’s fine. I’m just saying not to worry. As we talked about, the differentiation between -2.5 and -2.4 is just how they have a way to discuss it.
Dr. Eric:
What are some causes? Before that, why is low bone density so common? This ties into some of the common causes.
Margie:
I think there are many reasons. This is the thing that to me is so important. In conventional care, oftentimes, someone will get a bone density, and they have osteoporosis. I don’t fault the doctors because this is what they’re taught. They really are well-intentioned. They will give them calcium, Vitamin D. They will tell them to do weight bearing exercises. Whether they send them to physical therapy, usually they don’t, but they do tell them to do exercise and go on medication. You know this so well from your practice. They are not looking at the root causes. And that’s so important. What is going on?
I think it’s very important to know are people actively losing bone? The truth is, we build the majority of our bone before age 20, as we are growing children. What we do as kids, it’s like a bank. If we are putting lots of money in when we’re younger, if we lose a little when we’re older, it’s okay. Women, 80-90% of bone before 18, and 20 in men. Is it that someone didn’t have good habits when they were younger? They never built the bone? Which is a very different situation from someone who is in an active inflammatory condition or losing bone. I think that’s important to differentiate. You can do that with testing.
You need to know what’s going on. Anything causing inflammation in the body can cause the cells called the osteoclasts, which break down bones, so they can increase the activity of the cells that break down bone. You need to figure out where the cause of inflammation is. It’s very similar to what you do with thyroid. It’s also affecting their bones. The bones aren’t that different. As you know, the whole body is connected. We need to figure out what is causing inflammation.
What I see so often with the bones—I can’t even tell you—is food sensitivities. The biggest one I see is gluten. I love the Wheat Zoomer test by Vibrant America. I just can’t get over how many people have issues with gluten. When they go off that, their inflammation decreases, and their bone density actually increases in many cases. I see that as huge.
I also see when people have any type of GI issue, they’re not absorbing their nutrients, so they have micronutrient deficiency. You need all these nutrients: calcium, magnesium, Vitamin K2. You need all of the nutrients for strong, healthy bones. If you have an absorption problem, you may be eating great food, but you are not getting the nutrients to the bones. I find that as a big problem.
With gluten, it’s interesting because all the doctors will test for Celiac Disease. They do. Everybody knows that is a root cause of osteoporosis. But they don’t go the next step. A small percentage of people have Celiac, but so many people have issues with non-Celiac gluten sensitivity and problems with wheat. I just think that’s a missed area.
Hormones. After menopause, women can lose bone. Hormone imbalances is another one.
Also, medications that people are on. If people are on proton pump inhibitors, that can cause osteoporosis. Different medications actually put people at higher risk.
You know hyperthyroidism is a root cause of osteoporosis.
There are many different reasons. I’ve seen the most common are hormones, women after menopause tend to lose bone. All the inflammatory conditions as well as nutrient deficiencies.
If someone is a couch potato- Exercise and movement is so important. People who don’t exercise have lower bone density than active individuals.
Stress. I see that so often. People are so worried about if they are doing the right exercises. Are they doing the right things? They don’t realize that stress reduces the activity of the osteoblasts, the bone-building cells, and increases the activity the same way as the osteoclasts, which break down bone.
Lots of root causes. It’s so important to figure out what’s going on if you are going to do this properly and figure out how can you work on your bones so that you have strong, healthy bones for your life.
Dr. Eric:
You mentioned hyperthyroidism. We’re not going to get into detail because you interviewed me. For those listening, if you really want to get a breakdown of the impact of the thyroid, especially hyperthyroidism, on bone health, you can check out the interview that Margie did of me. Definitely check that out.
It’s also interesting you mentioned gluten sensitivities. It’s not just Celiac; someone can have a non-Celiac gluten sensitivity that can affect bone density.
You mentioned nutrient deficiencies. You mentioned Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, magnesium, and calcium. All of them are important for optimal health. There is a few you didn’t mention that are associated with bone health. One is boron. I don’t know if you recommend getting that from food, or if you recommend supplementation for boron. Depends on the case?
Margie:
Both. There is good research on boron. I think it’s a great supplement to add. Certain people only want to add so much. Yes, boron is great.
Dr. Eric:
How about strontium?
Margie:
No, I do not recommend strontium. The reason I don’t recommend strontium is because they found it’s a denser material than calcium. What happens is if you take strontium, your bone density will get better. It actually shows in the DEXA improvement. But it’s not real improvement. The actual tensile strength is not stronger. The DEXA is no longer accurate once you take strontium.
Unfortunately, there have been numerous people who take strontium, and their DEXA improves, and they’re so excited. But it’s not accurate. The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation doesn’t recommend it. It takes the place of calcium, so you’re not getting it. Calcium is stronger. It will look better on a bone density test, but it actually isn’t. There is some research that it could cause some blood clots. There are some other issues with it. It’s something I actually don’t recommend.
Dr. Eric:
You were about to mention zinc as helping with bone density.
Margie:
Yeah. I like doing testing, not guessing. I’m a big fan of micronutrient testing, seeing what you’re not getting. Some people are not getting CoQ10. Is there any important nutrient that is missing?
We know about Vitamin D. A lot of people are Vitamin D-deficient. What I tend to see often is people, they give you calcium, so people are taking calcium, but they are taking too much because they are getting it in their diet and taking a lot of supplements. More is not better in this situation. Nothing 100% conclusive, but too much calcium from supplements can cause issues with cardiac system as well as kidney stones. We don’t want too much.
What we do need is that K2. We need that to take the calcium and put it into the bones and sweep it out of the soft tissues. I think that’s one of the missing vitamins that people absolutely need to take. In conventional medicine, Vitamin D and calcium are discussed, but K2 isn’t. There is research on it. It’s unfortunate.
It’s interesting, on my summit, which we can talk about, the doctors who deal only with osteoporosis, that’s their specialty, the integrative doctors. The #1 supplement that they feel has been really helping their patients not have fractures is K2. It’s something I think is critical, if people aren’t taking it.
Dr. Eric:
We see it a lot more these days combined with not just bone health formulas but even with Vitamin D3. A lot of D3 supplements have K2. I agree. I recommend not just to take D3, for those who need it, but also to make sure they are taking K2.
I’m sure we spoke about calcium the first time you were on. But I think it’s worth getting into it a little bit again. If someone has osteopenia/osteoporosis, do you recommend, in addition to the K2 and making sure they have healthy Vitamin D3 levels, a smaller amount of calcium? Do you recommend for them to get it mostly through food?
Margie:
I think the important thing is they are getting it. It’s always food first. What I have people do is evaluate the amount of calcium they are getting in their food. I also look at their diets because someone will say, “I’ll add dairy or milk.” You want them to do it in a healthy way. For a lot of people, dairy can be inflammatory. I look at how much they are getting in their diet.
Between 1,000-1,200. 1,200 is recommended in this country if you’re over 50. Many people say 1,000 is fine. I subtract. If they are not getting enough in their food, then yes, I do recommend they take it in supplements.
Dr. Eric:
That makes perfect sense. Make sure they get at least 1,000mg from the food they’re eating. If they are tracking it and only getting 700, maybe take 300mg of calcium in supplementation form.
When you do recommend calcium, what type do you like?
Margie:
Let’s start with what I don’t like. I don’t like calcium carbonate. It needs stomach acid first of all for it to be absorbed. It also reduces stomach acid, which we need, contrary to what a lot of people don’t know. We need stomach acid. There is a Dr. Wright in Washington who was measuring- He would give them the capsule. What is the name of that test? To see the amount of stomach acid. He found that 90%
Dr. Eric:
The Heidelberg test?
Margie:
Yes. They don’t really do that. He found 90% of his osteoporosis patients had low stomach acid. I think that’s important because we are not going to absorb the nutrients if we don’t have enough stomach acid. Calcium carbonate is going to reduce stomach acid. It’s a negative.
My favorite is microcrystalline hydroxyapatite. That’s one that is well tolerated and a good source.
Also, I’m fine with calcium citrate as well. For some people, if they have a high oxalate diet, the calcium citrate actually helps reduce the oxalates. For some people, that’s even more beneficial.
I’d say those are the two I recommend.
Dr. Eric:
You mentioned stomach acid. Can something like H-pylori affect bone density in some individuals?
Margie:
Everything with the gut, yep. Every single thing with the gut will affect bone density. They’re really finding a big correlation between the health of the microbiome and the diversity and bone density. Just like it affects everything, there is a correlation with the bones.
It’s overwhelming. I have to be honest. “Oh my gosh, I have to do all of these things.” Then that causes stress. My feeling is you do one thing at a time. You gradually build up. That is what is so exciting about the work that both of us do. When you take that approach, things really do get better. It’s sustainable.
In terms of the gut, that is probably one of the first places I always say. The gut is so important. It controls everything. If you’re not absorbing your food, and you have inflammation in the gut, you need to go there. That’s usually where I direct people to first while they’re doing exercise and other things. So important. All those things will affect bone density.
Sometimes, it’s just a matter of taking some lemon juice before people eat, or some apple cider vinegar. Slowing down when they eat. Some simple steps to increase the stomach acid. There are other things as well. It is very important for people to realize because it’s a silly reason not to be absorbing your nutrients.
Dr. Eric:
What are some of your favorite non-dairy food sources of calcium?
Margie:
Some of my favorites are leafy greens. I love Bok choy. It’s a great one. I just sauté that a lot of times.
I love collard greens. It has around 260mg per cooked cup. What I do with collard greens is if you are eating a bean burger- I learned this from a restaurant called Bareburger. They were wrapping the burgers in collard greens. That was one of the options. If I make a turkey burger or bean burger, you can wrap it in collard greens. Put whatever you want on it, some avocado and mushrooms, and wrap it up. It’s really good. Or use that as a wrap. You can steam them and put whatever you want. It’s very good. Or you can just sauté it, too. It tends to work great as a wrap.
Kale is a good one. You can use kale in all sorts of things.
The leafy greens are great and very high in calcium.
Sardines are amazing. Sardines with the bones in them are high calcium. Make sure you get it from a place where they use good practices. I love sardines.
Wild salmon is another good source of calcium.
Those are some of my favorites.
Dr. Eric:
I need to bring up Bareburger. I have family in New York, so I know exactly what you’re talking about. I didn’t realize that they had the collard greens. I go there like you do because they have grass-fed burgers. It’s a healthier place to go out to eat when I am in New York. That’s interesting. They have an option where you can wrap your burgers with collard greens? I have to check that out next time.
Margie:
Where I live in Morristown, NJ, they had a Bareburger, literally five minutes. It closed. The thought that this wasn’t popular enough, it closed in town. I couldn’t believe it. You’re right. They have grass-fed and healthier options. It was nice to have somewhere where you could pick something up. They still have them all over New York.
I learned from that that it’s so easy. You steam the collards, make the burger, and it’s a good meal. You can put different things on it.
Dr. Eric:
Let’s talk about testing. Starting with the bone density scans, do you typically recommend regular bone density scans? Or just an initial one, and then depends on the person?
Margie:
No, I do recommend bone density scans. The weird thing is that some of the insurances say wait until you’re 65, unless you have wrist fractures. At that point, you could have lost so much bone. I recommend doing it as early as you can, especially through menopause. Just get a baseline to see where you’re at. I recommend bone density testing.
With bone density testing, as I mentioned earlier, it’s only showing you the quantity of the bone. You can have two people with -2.5. One has amazing quality, and one has very poor quality. One with a -2.5 will fall, no problem. Another will fracture everything. People with much lower bone density, people with osteopenia, poor quality, will have a fracture before someone who has better quality. That’s so important.
There is a test called trabecular bone scoring, TBS. People can put TBS into Google and find a facility that has both. All it is is software that puts something over your bone density test. It’s not a new test. They can also see the quality when they use this software. But not everywhere has it. It’s not very expensive.
The problem with the DEXA is it’s not the most accurate test. There is a lot of discrepancy if you don’t have the right practitioner doing it. Some people just have whomever in their office do it. You want to make sure you have someone ideally trained in densitometry. Ideally, you want to go to the same place. You really can’t compare a test from one place to a test from another place. Isn’t that crazy? That’s how much discrepancy there is in the test.
It’s a trade-off. This year, I’m going to go to a new place because my place hasn’t done the TBS. I am going to go to a new place, and I won’t be able to compare that to the last one. But I want to get the TBS.
If you are going for the first time, absolutely find a facility that has the TBS. They are all over the United States. That just gives you more information.
I like to do a whole panel of things. This is not done. There is something called the bone turnover markers. They tell you if you are actively losing bone. What is going on?
I think the other one I recommend to everybody is the C-terminal telopeptide. It’s called CTX. That gives you a great measure of bone breakdown in terms of what is going on there. I highly recommend that test.
There is another one called P1NP that will measure the bone building cells.
One is measuring osteoclast activity, the bone breakdown, the CTX. The P1NP is measuring the osteoblasts. Those two tests really give great information to see what is going on and help determine what might be the path to improvement.
There are other tests, too, that I do. In terms of inflammation. I like to check gluten. There are many other tests I think are important.
We talked about the summit. Dr. Keith McCormack has a great talk in detail about all the testing on the summit. There is a lot to be done. Then you find out the information.
That is what is so great. It’s not an easy thing, managing osteoporosis properly. When you do, everything gets better because you figure out what is the root cause? You deal with it. Your digestion gets better. Your energy gets better. Your thyroid gets better. Exercise is so important. You become a lifelong exerciser.
My philosophy is a diagnosis of osteoporosis is an opportunity to examine your life. See what areas maybe you’re not paying attention to. Nothing has happened to you. You get this diagnosis. It’s almost like a silver lining. “That was the best thing that ever happened” because they made all these changes. Their life got so much better. That is my feeling on it. Long answer for your question.
Dr. Eric:
Sticking on the topic of testing, I agree. People shouldn’t wait until they’re 65. There are some cases when- If someone has Celiac, let’s say even in their 20s or 30s, or hyperthyroidism maybe, there are situations that I think you’d agree when someone would need to get it decades earlier, correct?
Margie:
Yes, absolutely. The number is because you may not have your full bone. They will have to look at it within the context of your age. You know what I’m saying? If peak bone is 30, and you are getting it younger, you have gotten most of your bone, but it will be a little bit different interpretation because you could still be developing more bone up until that point.
Yes, I do agree. The earlier you find out, you definitely want to deal with it. Unfortunately, a lot of younger people are having habits, whether they have Celiac or just gluten sensitivities, so common. They are sedentary. They are eating horrible diets. It’s a whole array of things that are going to lead up to problems with bones later on.
Dr. Eric:
Good point. You spoke about non-Celiac gluten sensitivities. If someone has any long-standing gut issue, maybe consider doing some of the tests that you mentioned. Not only the DEXA, but the TBS, just to look at the bone quality as well as quantity.
Margie:
Yeah. They can also deal with those issues and improve them, so they are not at risk. They will still be able to make big changes. But definitely address them. People think it’s an older person’s- I don’t even call it a disease; I like to call it a condition. People think this only happens to older people, so they don’t have to worry about it. It’s the opposite. We could eradicate osteoporosis if younger people were taking the steps to take care of their bones and their diet and their exercise. It would make such a big difference. Then our bank would be filled up, so if we lose a little bit with age, it wouldn’t be so horrific.
Dr. Eric:
Let’s talk about happiness. I want to make sure you have some time to talk about that. What role does happiness play when it comes to increasing bone density?
Margie:
It’s really interesting. They found that happier people, people who are content with their life, actually have higher bone density. I think happiness and stress go together as well. They have done some research. It used to be just animal research, but now there is regular research. When people increase social stress, it causes a reduction in bone density. It all goes together. That is my favorite part of it. That’s fun.
What I see is people who just don’t want to put any time into reducing their stress and increasing their happiness. People don’t value it. They don’t realize it’s medicinal. When they do, it’s just so interesting. When you can reduce that cortisol, because cortisol is your stress hormone, and cortisol, as I said, reduces the activity of the bone building cells, they have situations when people are on steroids. Everybody knows that’s a huge risk factor for osteoporosis. But you’re making your own steroids in terms of the same negative effects with cortisol. I think it’s huge. Every program I teach, everything I do, I help people work on that.
When you increase your happiness, you just look at the world in a different way. I found this very early on in my practice. I was working with chronic pain as a physical therapist. I had gone through a bad situation, and people were like, “Margie, you’re so happy. What’s your secret?” They were really miserable. “Gosh, if they knew what I’d just gone through, I don’t think they’d say that.” It hit me at that moment. Even though my situation wasn’t great, I was still happy.
Happiness is not based on your situation or circumstances. It is a deep sense of peace and wellbeing regardless of your situation. I said, “They’re so unhappy.” They had chronic pain. “I am going to start teaching them what got me through.” I call them happiness habits. I have had lots of training since then.
I started doing that. It was shocking. Back pain, neck pain, TMJ, things got better so much quicker than with just conventional physical therapy. This was 35 years ago. This to me is the secret sauce. This is what I have found really expedites healing. Even with osteoporosis, when people are happier, they want to be on their program and want to engage and want to do the exercises. I think it’s a win-win for everybody.
It’s not hard to do. You just gradually do some basic, easy things. All of a sudden, you realize you wake up a little happier than you were. Regardless of where you started. Some people are glass half full. Some people are totally glass half empty. It doesn’t matter. Wherever you are, they have done research that you can increase your happiness. Very exciting.
Dr. Eric:
Sounds similar to stress management, where it comes down to the perception of the stressor. You could have someone where the stressor is not too bad, but they are really stressed out. Someone else, it could be extreme stress, and they seem like the happiest person, as you said. Regardless of what situation you’re in, you can make those changes and have a happy outlook. The impact it has not just on your bone health but on your overall health could be pretty profound.
Margie:
It’s interesting because I am a happy person. I was always glass half full. Through a very stressed. My mother unfortunately died very young at 67. Amazing person. More type A. I realized that I have to do practices. It doesn’t just happen naturally.
Once you engage in certain practices, that becomes life-changing. When a wave comes, it doesn’t throw me over. It’s resilience. It’s a matter of getting into certain habits and putting the work in to do the habits, which have completely changed my life. Yes, so important.
Dr. Eric:
Well said. Before we wrap it up, I want you to talk about your summit. First, is there anything else that you’d like to chat about? Anything I didn’t ask you that I should have asked you?
Margie:
The only thing I want to mention is exercise is such a big deal. It’s resistance training. It’s not just la di dah, walking. Walking is good, and walking is good for balance. If you are trying to increase bone density, resistance training is very effective.
I am such a big believer in physical therapy. It’s usually covered by insurance. Ask your doctor. Sometimes, people have bad posture. You want to do it properly. I always say to find a physical therapist who specializes, who has had training in osteoporosis. There are many.
Definitely the exercise piece is important. Resistance training as well as some impact, which can be walking. But it’s the resistance training and higher impact that is increasing bone. If you can’t do that, then balance exercises every day because usually we don’t just break a bone. It’s usually with a fall. So often, if people practice balance and mindfulness, you are not going to fall. If we don’t use it, we lose it, with balance. I am a big believer that everybody can improve their balance with some exercises. I think the exercise piece is critical.
The last thing is if you have osteoporosis, you don’t want to do rounding and forward bending. There was a study done at Mayo Clinic. When people only did rounding exercises, they had an 89% fracture risk for people who had osteoporosis. It puts force on the front of the vertebrae, which is already weakened. You don’t want to do any rounding or excessive rotation. I’d say to tell people to maybe go 75-80%, or side bending. All of that is in the summit actually. We go over that in detail. I wanted people to know if you have osteoporosis, touching your toes, doing sit-ups, are not the exercises that I’d recommend.
Dr. Eric:
That’s very good to know. Thanks for sharing that.
Let’s talk about your upcoming summit. Also, other places where people can find you as well. What can people expect at the summit? I know there is also free gifts they get if they join.
Margie:
This is my third summit actually. Lives have changed. Whenever I think about it, I become so happy because it’s a tremendous amount of work. Because it’s just not out there, all the things that can be done. I really wanted to give people resources.
Being a physical therapist myself, I knew the physical therapists who really deal with this. They actually show the exercises that can be done. Dr. Sherri Betz has shown exercises. That was the favorite talk in the summit.
This year, in addition to that talk, she is going over all the yoga and Pilates poses, exactly how to modify them. They are not all safe for osteoporosis. What can you do, so when you do go to your yoga and Pilates classes, you are equipped with the knowledge?
There is exercise, chi gong, dance. I wanted to give people tools. There are all sorts of talks on that on the summit.
Dr. Keith McCormack, as I said, talked about evaluation in detail. He is doing a new talk on all the medications. People think medication is horrible, but the truth is, nobody wants to have a fracture. There are situations where you use medication temporarily in conjunction with the integrative approach. He goes into that in detail.
There are so many different topics. There are so many things. There is a person talking about blood sugar.
Deva Boone is a parathyroid surgeon, and she explains what that is. There were over 20 people who found out from the summit they needed parathyroid surgery. That’s why they were losing bone.
There is lots of great things. There is a cooking demonstration. You get a whole array. The best part is it’s sort of like a smorgasbord. You don’t have to do everything. You can pick and choose something that speaks to you. I have gotten so many thank you’s on how people were able to take the information and maybe even work with that practitioner. I have doctors out there who all they do is osteoporosis. They have been able to help people as well.
That is the summit. With it though, some free gifts that I created. There is an e-book on improving your bone health naturally.
I demonstrated some easy balance exercises that you can put into your life right away as well as posture. Posture is a big issue. When people are sitting around rounded, that is going to improve your fracture risk and also reduce your balance. There was a program I did on two weeks to improve your posture. All these great things you can easily do. A bunch of videos. That is one of the gifts.
There is a cookbook that gives you some recipes that are good for your bones. There is a lot of resources.
We also have hormones. Dr. Felice Gersh is amazing and talks about bioidentical hormones. She sets the record straight.
There is lots of information. A lot of free resources. My goal with this was to get the information out and just let people know what’s available. It’s been a passion of mine. I was so lucky I have been able to do this for two summits, and now on this third summit, I have added things that people asked about in more detail. Even with the oxalates piece. That was confusing to people. I tried to answer questions from people and help so they could figure out their best path. Nobody has to fracture and cut their life quality because of their bones.
Dr. Eric:
Can you also mention your podcast and website?
Margie:
Sure. The podcast is Happy Bones, Happy Life. You must listen to your episode because that was so great on thyroid and hyperthyroidism. That’s on all podcast platforms as well as on YouTube.
My website is MargieBissinger.com. That’s the best way to check me out.
Dr. Eric:
Wonderful. Margie, thank you so much. This was an amazing interview and conversation. I’m sure people will get even greater value. I said at the top that you’ll learn everything you want about bone health here, but I guess that wasn’t true. There is so much more you could cover. It’s also great getting perspectives of others, which people will during the summit. Definitely check out the summit and check out Margie’s podcast, not just my interview, but some of the others as well.
Margie, it was great chatting with you. Thank you so much.
Margie:
Thank you. It’s really a pleasure being here.